Our world is filled with signs and objects which stand for attributes, concepts, or abstract ideas. Wedding rings remind us of love and commitment; product brands speak to us of style or quality. Emblems identify organization; Oscars and Emmys and academic cords connote excellence. Portraits, statues, and photographs depict historical events and thus help usContinue reading “A World of Symbols”
Tag Archives: spirituality
An Equal and Beyond Fair Wage!
Before technology changed the blueberry industry, almost every kid who grew up in Washington County, Maine earned “back to school” money by spending a few, hot, August days in exhausting, backbreaking blueberry raking along side family, buddies and migrant workers. However, finding reliable seasonal workers and paying them fair wages have troubled Maine farmers forContinue reading “An Equal and Beyond Fair Wage!”
Inaudible Shouts…
“Magnificent!”. “Glorious!” Beautiful!” Those exclamations echoed around the garden as visitors admired the flowering shrubs and peony blossoms. The adage that “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder” holds some truth. We have individual aesthetics or preferences and subjectively value the quality of the tangible or intangible. So, is beauty a reality or anContinue reading “Inaudible Shouts…”
The Clearest Day Ever
The rhythms of the sea with its shifting tides, rising waves, crashing surf, and drifting fog are mesmerizing. And as the fog lifts to expose a view stretching beyond the horizon’s curve into the heavens, both awe and calmness engulf the soul with a sense of belonging within that vastness. “On a Clear Day You can SeeContinue reading “The Clearest Day Ever”
Coffee Thoughts…
Early morning on the river’s shore, Listening to the flowing, rippling water Watching the rising sun and settling moon in an expanding universe Sipping a cup of coffee…. Peace, solitude, Then intruding thoughts…Life! Meaningless or purposeful? Insignificant or valued? The search for truth… History? Science? Philosophy? Religion? Same goals? Cohesive? Or clashing, exclusive ideologies defendedContinue reading “Coffee Thoughts…”
Land that I Love
Although written during WW1 and revised in 1938 when WW11 was on the horizon and a great testing for America lay ahead, Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” has always been my favorite patriotic song and musical prayer for America. As a kid, I remember sitting in front of our floor model radio and listening toContinue reading “Land that I Love”
Timing is Crucial!
We know plants bloom or fruit at specific times. Field daises flower, crab apples blossom, and pond lilies emerge on schedule. There are seasons to life, and at some point, we become aware that “time” for us is unpredictable and limited and that there are no extensions or redo’s. Our responses to thisContinue reading “Timing is Crucial!”
Why Do Birds Sing (or Ducks Quack)
One beauty of Spring in Maine is the recrudescence of nature’s music. After winter’s silence, (except for a few cawing crows, screaming Jays, screeching gulls and the occasional tweet of an Eagle or osprey) an amazing cacophony of peeping frogs and sweet bird voices bursts forth as the rest of the world is resurrectedContinue reading “Why Do Birds Sing (or Ducks Quack)”
The Johnny Appleseed Psalm!
My Grandmother used to say, “A watched pot never boils.” Spring in Maine is a bit like that. The more one looks for it, the longer it takes! But when it eventually arrives, it does so with a dramatic explosion of beauty. By late May, flowering apple trees grace yards, highlight country roads, and bringContinue reading “The Johnny Appleseed Psalm!”
Magical Thinking?
Memorial Day is a day of “remembering”. Originating in the post civil war period as Decoration Day, it is now a Federal holiday designated to honor US military veterans who died while serving our country. However, the day has morphed into not only a day filled with ceremonies, parades, flags, and wreaths to remember allContinue reading “Magical Thinking?”
Sweet Words from Maine 